Roof covering securing system and apparatus

Abstract

The invention teaches systems and apparatuses for securing a roof covering. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. 37 CFR 1.72(b).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to construction, and, more particularly, the invention relates to systems, apparatuses (also called devices), and methods for preventing wind damage to a building roof.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Interpretation Considerations

This section describes the technical field in more detail, and discusses problems encountered in the technical field. This section does not describe prior art as defined for purposes of anticipation or obviousness under 35 U.S.C. section 102 or 35 U.S.C. section 103. Thus, nothing stated in the Problem Statement is to be construed as prior art.

Discussion

Each year, high winds cause billions of dollars of damage to roofs, and the rain that often accompanies such winds destroys property valued at billions of dollars more. Such winds are commonly associated with hurricanes, tornadoes, and thunderstorms, for example. Unfortunately, once the roof covering is damaged, the structural integrity of the roof covering as a whole is affected, and frequently a larger portion of the roof covering is lost. This phenomenon has been seen in numerous videos of shingles being tossed off a roof in domino fashion during a hurricane. Once a portion of the roof covering has been removed, water and wind may cause additional structural damage, such as to the roof, beams, connections, electrical equipment, and dry boards. Furthermore, from items in storage to furniture and clothing, damage to items inside the structure is also quite likely. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have systems, devices, and methods that effectively prevent wind damage to buildings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various aspects of the invention, as well as an embodiment, are better understood by reference to the following detailed description. To better understand the invention, the detailed description should be read in conjunction with the drawings, in which like numerals represent like elements unless otherwise stated.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system level view of the invention.

FIG. 2a shows a side perspective of a building that employs the invention.

FIG. 2b is a straight on view of the building of FIG. 2a.

FIG. 3a illustrates a first interlocking securing device portion and a second interlocking securing device portion.

FIG. 3b shows that four sides of the interlocking securing device portions are interlocking boundaries.

FIG. 3c illustrates a plurality of interlocking securing device portions.

FIG. 3d is a shingle securing device comprising columns supports and row supports.

FIG. 3e shows a shingle securing device comprising a tie-down strap.

FIG. 4 illustrates a shingle securing device at the close-up corner for enhancement.

EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT OF A BEST MODE

Interpretation Considerations

When reading this section (An Exemplary Embodiment of a Best Mode, which describes an exemplary embodiment of the best mode of the invention, hereinafter “exemplary embodiment”), one should keep in mind several points. First, the following exemplary embodiment is what the inventor believes to be the best mode for practicing the invention at the time this patent was filed. Thus, since one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize from the following exemplary embodiment that substantially equivalent structures or substantially equivalent acts may be used to achieve the same results in exactly the same way, or to achieve the same results in a not dissimilar way, the following exemplary embodiment should not be interpreted as limiting the invention to one embodiment.

Likewise, individual aspects (sometimes called species) of the invention are provided as examples, and, accordingly, one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize from a following exemplary structure (or a following exemplary act) that a substantially equivalent structure or substantially equivalent act may be used to either achieve the same results in substantially the same way, or to achieve the same results in a not dissimilar way.

Accordingly, the discussion of a species (or a specific item) invokes the genus (the class of items) to which that species belongs as well as related species in that genus. Likewise, the recitation of a genus invokes the species known in the art. Furthermore, it is recognized that as technology develops, a number of additional alternatives to achieve an aspect of the invention may arise. Such advances are hereby incorporated within their respective genus, and should be recognized as being functionally equivalent or structurally equivalent to the aspect shown or described.

Second, the only essential aspects of the invention are identified by the claims. Thus, aspects of the invention, including elements, acts, functions, and relationships (shown or described) should not be interpreted as being essential unless they are explicitly described and identified as being essential. Third, a function or an act should be interpreted as incorporating all modes of doing that function or act, unless otherwise explicitly stated (for example, one recognizes that “tacking” may be done by nailing, stapling, gluing, hot gunning, riveting, etc., and so a use of the word tacking invokes stapling, gluing, etc., and all other modes of that word and similar words, such as “attaching”).

Fourth, unless explicitly stated otherwise, conjunctive words (such as “or”, “and”, “including”, or “comprising” for example) should be interpreted in the inclusive, not the exclusive, sense. Fifth, the words “means” and “step” are provided to facilitate the reader's understanding of the invention and do not mean “means” or “step” as defined in §112, paragraph 6 of 35 U.S.C., unless used as “means for -functioning-” or “step for -functioning-” in the claims section. Sixth, the invention is also described in view of the Festo decisions, and, in that regard, the claims and the invention incorporate equivalents known, unknown, foreseeable, and unforeseeable. Seventh, the language and each word used in the invention should be given the ordinary interpretation of the language and the word, unless indicated otherwise.

Of course, the foregoing discussions and definitions are provided for clarification purposes and are not limiting. Words and phrases are to be given their ordinary plain meaning unless indicated otherwise.

Description of the Drawings

FIG. 1 illustrates a system level view of the invention. Generally, the invention comprises a roof covering holding system (in the present discussion, a shingle-holding system is shown) 110 to a securing system 120. The roof covering holding system 110 may be secured or laid over a building roof 130 to prevent a roof covering, such as shingles, from being blown off in the event of a high wind condition. Of course, although the present discussion and the name of the preferred embodiment of the invention focuses on shingles, the invention and teachings of the invention incorporate all roofing structures and roof coverings, including slate, adobe, or masonry for example. Most commonly, the roof covering holding system 110 is embodied as a shingle-securing device, as discussed below.

The securing system 120 secures the roof covering holding system 110 to a building or roof 130 such that the roof covering holding system 110 stays secured to the building roof 130 even in high wind conditions, such as are encountered in hurricanes, wind burst and in some natural terrains such as beaches, cliffs, valleys, plains, and mountains. Of interest, a boundary between this roof covering holding system 110 and the securing system 120 may be in one embodiment difficult to define because a portion of the roof covering holding system 110 may form a portion of the securing system 120. Accordingly, in some embodiments, differences between the roof covering holding system 110 and the securing system 120 may be more a matter of function than structure.

FIG. 2a illustrates a side perspective of a building 200 that employs the invention, while FIG. 2b illustrates a straight on view of the building 200 that employs the invention. Referring simultaneously to FIGS. 2a and 2b the building 200 has shingles 220, and thus the present preferred embodiment of the invention is referred to as a shingle-securing device 250. However, it should be understood that other roofing material is equally applicable to the teachings of this embodiment with slight modifications that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the present disclosure, and the use of the word “shingle” in reference to the present embodiment in no way limits the invention only to applications involving shingles.

The shingle-securing device 250 lays over shingles 220 that are attached to roof 210. The shingles 220 slightly overhang 222 the roof 210, and it is appreciated that the shingle-securing device 250 also covers the shingles of the overhang 222 (the shingles of an overhang are frequently the first to separate from a roof in the event of a high wind condition). In FIG. 2b, only a boundary portion 252 of the shingle-securing device 250 is visible so that a reader may more readily view the present relationship between the shingle-securing device 250 and the roof 210. However, the shingle securing device 250 illustrated in FIGS. 2a and 2b comprises a geometric matrix as discussed below and is shown in closer detail in FIG. 4, which provides a close up of a corner 400.

The shingle-securing device 250 preferably employs a material having elasticity in its boundary portion 252. Exemplary materials for use, particularly for net supports, discussed below, are provided in the Table.

TABLE
Non-Exhaustive, Exemplary Materials
Acrylic	Acetate	Hemp	Stainless Steel Wire Mesh
Lyocell	Anidex	Cotton	Wire Mesh Dutch Weave
Nylon	Aramid	Pashmina	Insect Wire Netting
Olefin	Aylon	Silk	Mill Steel Wire Mesh
Polyester	Elastoesler	Wool	Brass Wire Cloth
Polypropylene	Glass		Welded Wire Mesh
Rayon	Lyocell		Hexagonal Wire Netting
Spandex	Melamine		Fence Wire Mesh
PLA	Metallic
	Modacrylic
	Nytriel
	PBI
	PEN
	Saran
	Sulfur
	Triacetate
	Vinyl
	Venrion

However, because a boundary portion 252 may not always terminate at a low point on a roof, the low-points of the boundary are preferably secured to prevent “flapping.” Accordingly, in one embodiment, a securing strap 254 couples securing points 253 together to hold the shingle securing device 250 on the shingles 220, as well as to prevent lateral motion of the shingle securing device 250 such that the shingle securing device 250 would blow off an unshingled side of the building 200. It is appreciated that most roofs are at least 200 sq. ft. in size and thus this shingle holding system 250 should also be as large as the roof it covers—here, at least 200 sq. ft. in size. However, it is also appreciated that the invention need not cover an entire roof structure and that other holding system sizes are within the scope of the invention. For example, a user may wish to only cover one side of a building such as a side of a building receiving a prevailing or highest wind, or those portions of a building or other structural unit that, in the user's opinion, need structural reinforcement on the roof, or have particularly valuable things being protected by that portion of a roof. The use of a boundary 252 having elasticity allows the boundary to pull under (or “tuck”) under the eaves of a house, and by doing so may secure a net to a roof.

FIG. 3a is top-down view of the shingle-securing device 250 that has been laid flat so that its features may be more easily identified. From FIG. 3a, one sees that the shingle-securing device 250 includes the boundary portion 252 about its perimeter. In addition, a plurality of column supports 262 and row supports 264 are provided in crisscross patterns of rows and columns that together form a net (or grid of grid segment) that holds shingles to a roof of a building in higher winds than the roof would otherwise be capable of withstanding.

The column support 262 and the row support 264 may be of uniform width, diameter, thickness, or other structural characteristic, or may have dissimilar structural characteristics. The column support 262 and the row support 264 may be of natural fibers, artificial fibers, lines including metal lines such as aluminum, stainless steel, or copper, or other materials known, unknown, foreseeable, and unforeseeable as is appreciated in the art upon reading the present disclosure. At this point it is beneficial to point out that the Table provides a more inclusive, although not comprehensive, list of materials that may be used to construct row supports, column supports, boundary portions, and other parts of a shingle-securing device. Furthermore, of course other geometric shapes may be employed to create a net for any roof covering holding system. For example, if constructed of a rubber or plastic material, a shingle securing device may comprise a matrix of any geometric shape or plurality of shapes that may or may not have structural significance for the invention or the roof of the building upon which it is to be used. Such teachings are understood by those of skill in the art upon reading the present disclosure.

FIG. 3a illustrates a first interlocking securing device portion 270 and a second interlocking securing device portion 272, which may find particular utility for a building having a non-uniform roof. As in FIG. 2, the interior nets of the interlocking securing device portions are omitted from illustration so that the reader may more easily focus on the specific inventive aspects of the inter-locking securing device portions illustrated in FIG. 3b. In FIG. 3b all four sides of the inter-locking securing device portions 270, 272 are inter-locking boundaries such as the first inter-locking boundary 278. Again, although rectangular interlocking securing device portions are illustrated in FIG. 3b, it is understood that hexagonal or octagonal or other geometric shapes for interlocking securing device portions may be employed for use in the invention. The interlocking boundaries generally comprise inter-locking loops 274, and interlocking hooks 276. For example, the first interlocking boundary 278 comprises three interlocking loops 274, while the second interlocking boundary 279 comprises three interlocking hooks 276. As is apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading the disclosure, the inter-locking hooks 276 are coupled to via wedging, buttoning, tying, or grasping, for example, each to an interlocking loop 274. The interlocking hooks and interlocking hoops may be comprised of cloth, plastic, metal, or other materials that may be similar to or identical to or dissimilar from the material used to build the net portions of a shingle securing device. Furthermore, other interlocking boundary embodiments are of course achievable, and those embodiments known, unknown, foreseeable, and unforeseeable to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the present disclosure, are incorporated within the scope of the invention.

FIG. 3c illustrates a plurality of interlocking securing device portions 270, 272, and 273 interlocked and incorporating a securing system 300. The securing system 300 incorporates a force F, such as a static force to keep the portions 270-273 in place, and by doing so securing a new to a roof. In FIG. 3c, one securing system is a weight 301 that is coupled to interlocking loops 274 via aluminum toe strings 302. Here, the weight 301 functioning as a securing member may be embodied as a weight specifically designed to attach to the inter-locking loops 274, or may incorporate user provided weight such as sand-bags, for example. A similar effect is created by using a tack 303, such as an upholstery tack, roofing nail, or conduit nail, for example, to secure a net to a roof.

Similarly, FIG. 3d illustrates a shingle securing device comprising columns supports 262 and row supports 264, as well as a carrying system 305 embodied in a boundary portion 307 of the shingle securing device, where the boundary portion 307 comprises a material having elasticity, such as an elastic strand 310. Similarly, FIG. 3e illustrates a shingle securing device comprising columns supports 262 and row supports 264, as well as a carrying system 305 embodied in a boundary portion 307 of the shingle securing device, where the boundary portion 307 comprises a tie-down strand 320 which functions similarly to the tie strap in the hood of a windbreaker.

FIG. 4 illustrates the shingle-securing device 250 at the close-up corner for enhancement 400. In FIG. 4, one may see the shingles 220 secured underneath the net formed by column supports 262 and row supports 264. In addition, one may also more clearly see the boundary portion 252 which in the present embodiment has a band 420 having elastic properties. Thus, one may through FIG. 4 see more clearly the application of the invention on a building roof. Of course, preferably the invention may be rolled up and stored in a small space, like a pup tent. Alternatively, the invention may be folded into sections and stored as a square, rectangular, or other compacted geometric shape. Further, many alternatives for storing the invention and for placing the invention are readily apparent for those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the present disclosure.

Though the invention has been described with respect to a specific preferred embodiment, many variations and modifications (including equivalents) will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the present application. It is therefore the intention that the appended claims and their equivalents be interpreted as broadly as possible in view of the prior art to include all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a roof covering holding system, comprising a net with an area of at least 200 square feet, and a boundary portion about an outer edge of the net;

the net comprising a weather resistant material;

the material arranged to form a plurality of grid segments; and a securing system coupled proximate to at least a portion of the boundary portion of the roof covering holding system.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the securing system is capable of securing the boundary portion of the net to a building roof.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the securing system comprises a material having an elasticity of greater than one

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the securing system comprises at least one draw string.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the securing system comprises a weight system having a polarity of weights coupled to the roof covering holding system.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the securing system comprises at least two tie downs.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the material is selected from the group consisting of Acrylic, Lyocell, Nylon, Olefin, Polyester, Polypropylene, Rayon, Spandex, and PLA.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the material is selected from the group consisting of Stainless Steel Wire Mesh, Wire Mesh Dutch Weave, Insect Wire Netting, Mill Steel Wire Mesh, Brass Wire Cloth, Welded Wire Mesh, Hexagonal Wire Netting, and Fence Wire Mesh.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the material is selected from the group consisting of Acetate, Anidex, Aramid, Aylon, Elastoesler, Glass, Lyocell, Melamine, Metallic, Modacrylic, Nytriel, PBI, PEN, Saran, Sulfur, Triacetate, Vinyl, Venrion, Hemp, Cotton, Pashmina, Silk, and Wool.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the net comprises a plurality of roof supports and column supports.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the net comprises a polygonal geometric pattern.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the roof covering holding system comprises a plurality of securing portions.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein each securing portion comprises an interlocking boundary.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the interlocking boundary comprises at least one loop.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the interlocking boundary comprises at least one hook.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the hook is a button.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the hook is a T.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the hook is a hand tie-able fabric.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a securing strap that couples a first securing point to a second securing point, the securing points being located on the securing system.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a securing strap that couples a first securing point to a second securing point, the securing points being located on the roof covering holding system.